Pedagogy

     Last month I blogged about the emerging trend of higher education institutions measuring value as a means to attract students. Now, states are being held accountable as well.
    By using a balanced scorecard approach, states are scored in a number of areas related to higher education--economic and community development, funding, and transparency & markets to name a few. A state can receive one of three scores in each category: needs improvement, in progress, or best practice. The states who received great scorecards were California, Texas, Georgia, Florida, and a few others. The states with the poorest scores were Michigan, South Carolina, Illinois, and many other mid-western states.
    This is a great step in the right direction for higher education. Now that institutions and state governments are being held accountable for their role in educating society, I think the quality and value of education will only get better from this point.

2012: Team Romney

     For the first time since Ronald Reagan was elected President in 1980, there is not a clear Republican front-runner for the upcoming Presidential elections in 2012. While Sarah Palin's name continues to be thrown around, I think most level-headed conservatives would abandon their political ties if she is picked to represent  the GOP in 2012.
     Personally, I am team Mitt Romney all the way (and I was in 2008 too!). The problem is, most people have no CLUE who Mitt Romney is. Romney was the former Governor of Massachusetts, which in case you aren't aware, is a very BLUE state. The fact that a conservative could be elected as Governor in one of the most liberal states in the country is a true testament to his ability to cross party lines to attract voters. He is extremely business-savvy, which is important considering the US has been unable to recover from our current financial crisis. However, his name-recognition problem paired with his religious beliefs that detract some voters (he is Mormon) may keep him from getting the support from the GOP.
     I am Team Romney all the way and I want to get his name out there!

Good Enough for Google

      Although many talented individuals are choosing to work for Facebook over Google, there are still a plethora of people who would love to work for the Bay Area-based company. And now is the time to do so! Google executives announced that they plan to hire 2,000 individuals throughout the duration of the year, and they will have no trouble attracting top talent from across the world for these coveted positions.
      Think you have what it takes? Check out some of these sample interview questions that are taken directly from previous Google interviews. They clearly want individuals who can think "outside the box", so if you know how many golf balls can fit in a school bus--sample interview question #6--then consider applying for a spot!

House Rich, Cash Poor

      I remember asking my mom what she meant by the statement "house rich, cash poor". She explained that many people in California had all of their wealth tied up in the value of their homes--but when it came to paying the bills, they didn't have the cash to do so.

      There is a going trend amongst homeowners to up-size their homes, while sacrificing other expenditures like education and health in order to afford bigger living spaces. According to the LA Times, "the typical American home has grown about 40% larger over the last 30 years." The ironic part about this statistic is that the number of children per household has declined over the past 30 years. Therefore, the change in home size cannot be explained by an increase in children; rather, it appears people are associating socio-economic status with home size. The problem with this trend is that families are devoting "34% of household expenditures to their homes". These expenditures do not benefit society like an investment in education would, which has caused the U.S. to be behind in "both the quality and quantity of the labor force [because they] are not keeping pace with the demands of the skill-based economy". If we want to grow as a country, we need to learn from our Chinese neighbors and devote more of our household expenditures to education.

College Admissions: Have Things Gone Too Far?

        It comes as no surprise that colleges are experiencing record application numbers this year--with the most qualified, talented applicant pool they've had thus far. But have they gone too far? Colleges now compete on how many students they can turn away, not how many they accept. An article in The Chronicle of Higher Education looked at several schools like Brown and Stanford who bragged about accepting less than 10% of applicants. Rather than marketing other aspects of a college, admissions believe that "The more apps a college receives, and rejects, the more impressive it seems".  

         This focus has caused students to feel like they have to apply to more schools than is necessary. One student remarked "I should apply to a million schools...if I shoot lots of arrows, maybe I'll hit something". However, this push is not only harmful to potential applicants, but also to the colleges themselves. A larger applicant pool does not mean that the quality of incoming students will be better. By striving for larger applicant pools, colleges are unable to predict the number of students that will actually attend, leading to longer waiting lists and other problems. 

        The solution: copy University of Chicago. Rather than trying to attract every type of student, Chicago admissions focus on attracting a student that would be successful at their university. The Dean of College Admissions at Univ. of Chicago sums up their recruiting tactics in one idea: "If understood properly, no given college will appeal to everyone—that wouldn't be possible...It's important to signal something true and meaningful about yourself. The more signals, the more honest you're being, and doing that does limit the applications". Chicago still attracts top-quality students--but it doesn't try to compete with other schools in attracting 50,000 applicants.

       I think schools should try to be more like the admissions team at Chicago. There is too much emphasis on attracting the greatest number of applicants possible, rather than focusing on attracting students that would be happy and successful at a particular school. This will yield positive benefits for students as well, because it will force them to sit down and prioritize which schools they want to attend, rather than applying to as many schools as possible just to get in.

National Unfriend Day!

Jimmy Kimmel announced on his show that today, November 17, shall be National Unfriend Day! In honor of the holiday, Brad Paisley and Darius Rucker wrote a song called "The National Unfriend Day Soundtrack" (see lyrics below). Kimmel created the day so that "all Facebook users shall protect the sacred nature of friendship by cutting out any 'friend fat' on their pages occupied by people who are not truly their friends". I couldn't agree with you more Jimmy Kimmel. 

To all the friends I've un'ed before 

Who sent me quizzes about Jersey Shore 

You made my life a hell 

With your stupid LOL 

To all the friends I've un'ed before

To all the guys from grammar school 

Posting shirtless pictures by their pool 

Your fat and sweaty back

Really makes me want to yak 

To all the friends I've un'ed before

Our time on earth goes by so quickly 

We have to make each moment great 

So I cannot waste one more minute 

Reading your dumb status update

The Day Has Finally Arrived!

     In case you couldn't tell by my post entitled "Taxman", I am a HUGE Beatles fan. I am currently taking a 4-unit course entitled "Beatles: Their Music and Their Times", where I get to access my inner nerd and learn all about the Beatles every Monday and Wednesday. While I could talk for hours about Paul McCartney, there is a reason why I bring up my obsession now.
     Apple is set to make a big announcement tomorrow, and there are various rumors as to what the surprise could be. According to Yahoo, the big surprise has to do with my favorite band: The Beatles. All iTunes users know that Beatles music is not available for sale due to the lack of agreement that could be reached between EMI (The Beatles's record label) and Apple. However, Apple has finally made an offer that EMI can't refuse, and Beatles fans will finally get to purchase their music on iTunes.
     Although I own all of the Beatles albums already, I am giddy with excitement that more people will have access to, in my opinion, the best music available.

I'm Sorry That I'm Not Sorry

Dear Kanye West,

Why are you such a horrible human being?

Love,
CMG

For those of you who missed the Kanye West and Matt Lauer interview on The Today Show, please watch it. Matt Lauer had Kanye on the show to be able to publicly apologize to George Bush, but once again, West let his true colors show and left viewers disgusted with his arrogance and lack of remorse. He made a complete fool of himself (yet again) on TV and I am embarrassed to own 2 of his albums.

Watch it here.

How to Nail the Interview

     College students often underestimate the importance of interviews in the job process. While grades & extra-curricular activities are important, if you lack the ability to sell yourself in an interview, your job prospects may be grim. This doesn't mean that you have to be outgoing and the "life of the party"-you just need to convey to the interviewer that you will add value to their firm.
     Check out these helpful interview tips before you start the interview process for internships or full-time job offers. Jobs may be few and far between, but all it takes is one great interview to enter the world of employment!

TV Shows: Red & Blue Too!

     I previously blogged about how the art of comedy is being polarized by political party preferences, and now TV is too! I must admit that the results of the study shown below are accurate with my political affiliation and TV watching preferences.

Hooray for Modern Family!

Google to Facebook: Lay Off My Talent!

    While many people would donate their left (or right) kidney to work for Google, it appears that the company is losing some of its talent to rival Facebook. I had a chance to tour Google's European headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, and I must admit that they know how to treat their employees well. All Google offices have break rooms that feature video game consoles, ping pong tables, and flat screen TVs where workers can get their "creative juices flowing". There are kitchens on every floor stocked with anything a Google employee's heart could desire. Offices feature massage parlors and dry cleaning services, so employees can get their chores done at work. But apparently, that isn't enough.
     Facebook and other social media companies like Twitter have a powerful tool that Google does not: pre-IPO stock. Facebook has been able to lure engineers away from Google with hefty stock option packages, but Google rebutted with a promise to give all 23,000 employees a 10% raise this year. While Google used to be the "it" place to work, people are starting to say it is the "safe" place to work. Facebook has now replaced Google as the leader in attracting world-class talent. However, with how fast technology changes I'm sure there will be a new leader by the time I am done with this blog post. Nonetheless, Facebook-1, Google-0.

Marriage Problems? Simple Solution.

     Ever since buying the iPhone 4 in August, my new favorite phrase is: "I'm sure there's an app for that". The creativity of applications available on mobile phones never ceases to amaze me, and I certainly was not shocked when I came across an article in Time Magazine that talks about iPhone apps aimed at saving failed marriages. It certainly sparked my curiosity.
      There were two apps that I found absolutely hysterical: The "Mind Over Marriage" app and the "Marriage Fight Tracker" app. The former serves as a personal service where app users can send an email about relationship problems or issues to an anonymous marriage counselor, who will then respond with advice regarding the dispute. The second app, "Marriage Fight Tracker", records a fight that a couple engages in (I know, it's a little ridiculous) and stores it in an electronic file so couples can return to the recording and see if any progress has been made in the relationship.
      It is scary to think that this is the direction in which society is heading, but with all the advancements in technology, I can't say that I'm surprised. With how much time I spend on my iPhone every day, I might as well be married to it. So what's next? An app that can buy clothes online for me based on my preferences and style? Pick up my dry cleaning?

      One can only dream.

Sorry Shakespeare, Your Academic Background Doesn't Cut It

      With unemployment rates at an all time high, students are having to pick majors that are more marketable to on-campus recruiters. The number of students majoring in the humanities has declined to a single-digit percentage across the country, weighing in at 8% in 2007 (I'm sure it is much lower now).
      While I personally despise taking general education courses, I do realize their fundamental value. Courses in the arts and humanities make students well-rounded. If I had only taken accounting classes throughout my entire academic career at USC, I would not graduate with the broad perspective that one attains by taking classes across all fields of study.
       I find it discouraging that students feel they no longer have the freedom to pursue majors that interest them based on whether or not it is easy to find a job with such credentials. I was lucky to stumble into a field of study that I loved, but also had great employment prospects (accounting)--but others are not as lucky.
       I hope this decline is cyclical, and that once the economy bounces back, students are no longer fearful to pursue a background in humanities. Although I begrudgingly attended my East Asian Languages & Cultures humanities class, I'd like to think I gained perspective and insight from broadening my academic horizons. Long live a liberal arts education!

Need for Ethics in Education

            While it may be nerdy to admit, the Enron documentary entitled “The Smartest Guys in the Room” is one of my favorite movies. While the downfall of Enron was indeed a direct result of greedy executives, a woman interviewed in the documentary states that it is “a portrait of human nature”. Even when being questioned by members of Congress after the collapse of the company, Jeff Skilling swore under oath that he “always did what was best for the company and its shareholders” (I still get chills when I watch that part). I could talk for hours about the ins and outs of the Enron scandal, but I want to focus on the lack of integrity that seems to be an increasing presence in business executives who lead the financial services industry.

            Some individuals blame capitalism as the cause of the recent economic downturn, which is a valid argument. The strength of capitalism is also its inherent weakness; while it grants freedom and flexibility to the users of financial markets, it also falls prey to the downfalls of human nature, allowing manipulation and fraud to run rampant. While increasing regulation of the economy may fix some of the problems, there is still the issue of ethics and integrity in business (or lack thereof). Since I am a huge advocate for education as a means of bringing about change, I believe the problem lies in the lack of education about ethics in schools.

            I would not feel so strongly about this if I hadn’t experienced ethics education firsthand my sophomore year of college. The class was a required business class entitled “Business Communication for Accounting Majors”, and focused on teaching nerdy accountants how to be good communicators with things other than numbers. The class incorporated labs on Fridays (who doesn’t like class on Fridays?) featuring simulations and guest speakers, which students enjoyed more than they liked to admit. On one Friday morning, my fellow classmate (who had attended lab earlier that day) called me and said “You have to go to lab today. It will absolutely blow your mind.” Without prying further, I walked to class and couldn’t wait to figure out what my friend was referring to. The lab started out with a case in which a business analyst had gotten wrapped up in a Ponzi scheme while working at UBS. The interesting twist of the case was that it wasn’t blatantly immoral. This wasn’t a Bernie Madoff-type Ponzi scheme—the analyst was unaware of the fraud until late in the case, and then tried to fix the damage that had already been done by his colleagues before the client found out.

When the case had been fully presented, my professor asked the class, “Now tell me: what would YOU have done in this situation?” Of course some of the typical answers were thrown out-“I would have called the fraud hotline!” (yeah right) or “Gone straight to the Board of Directors of UBS” (also highly unlikely). It became very clear that there was no obvious, moral answer. Our class became lost in the “gray area” that comprises ethics, and couldn’t all agree on an answer that seemed appropriate.

            Without missing a beat, my Professor said “I have someone in the classroom that I would like you to meet.” A fashionably dressed, 35-year-old looking man steps in front of the class and states to a group of naïve undergrads, “Hi. My name is Justin Paperny. I graduated from USC about ten years ago, and I’m the analyst in the case who was sent to jail for fraud.”

            I’m certain everyone in the class gasped at that very moment. This man did not look like a man who had been to jail-- he even graduated from USC! For the next hour of the lab, we all listened intently to the story of his ethical downfall. He had been on the USC baseball team, a stellar business student, and had an impressive career as a financial analyst up until the scandal in 2008. The harsh reality that we all learned that day is that this man was not a bad person. He had grown up in a very good home with great parents, and attended the best universities that money could buy. But education failed to teach him how to make ethical decisions when business temptations arise.

            Not one student walked out of the accounting building unaffected by what had transpired during the lab. It wasn’t the facts of the case that had the profound impact-it was the harsh reality that what happened to Justin could happen to any of us. Most students are aware of what is considered right and wrong, but in ethical dilemmas like the one presented in Justin’s case, the moral answer is not obvious. This lack of knowledge about the principles of ethics highlights an area of weakness in education. Schools need to incorporate courses that simulate ethical dilemmas and teach strategies to find ethical solutions when the answer is not clearly evident. While undergraduate and graduate business schools emphasize leadership in their curriculum, they fail to integrate ethics as a component of leadership. This fatal flaw causes students entering the working world to disassociate being a good leader and acting ethically, when in reality the two go hand in hand.

            While incorporating ethics into education is a viable option, there are obstacles that will make integration slow. When asked why ethics are not already incorporated into curriculum, business school professors commonly reply “[Business] students are grown people -- we can't teach them ethics”(Business Week). This argument is the most prevalent response amongst opponents of incorporating ethics in schools, who claim that teaching ethics in college is useless because moral character has already been formed by that point in a person’s life. However, if educators believe that courses cannot teach students how to change behavior, what is the point of sending kids to colleges and graduate schools? According to an article that highlights the weaknesses in arguments against teaching business ethics, the author states “ The opponent of ethics education presumably concedes that finance, marketing, and operations courses change behavior, but insists that an ethics course does not. Why is ethics class, the one class that deals directly with how one should behave, incapable of changing behavior, when all the other classes in the building have practical effect?”.  

Which brings me to a solution I propose: if some professors don’t see the value in teaching ethics, provide incentives for those that do. Business schools need to reward educators who bring in guest speakers to lecture on ethics--like my professor did-- or discuss ethics cases with their students. With a multitude of examples to pick from (Enron, Arthur Andersen, WorldCom, Lehman Bros, etc…), there is definitely not a lack of examples of poor ethics in the business world to be discussed openly with students. Whether through monetary incentives or recognition amongst colleagues, schools should create reward systems that honor professors that incorporate ethical components into required curriculum.

            One student replied to a Businessweek article on the need for ethics education and said, “I obtained knowledge and tools that have helped me avoid, resist, and discourage unethical behavior in all business dealings, something that has greatly helped my career in corporate finance. It's clear to me (and to many Notre Dame MBAs) that ethical decision-making isn't just the right thing to do but also adds great value to shareholders.” I’m not saying that ethics education will be the cure-all for the Jeff Skillings and Bernie Madoffs of the world—However, I do trust that preparing students for complex ethical dilemmas in school can only positively impact the business world.

California

California: The "Lindsay Lohan" of the States.

Privacy: A Thing of the Past

     While Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg faces complaints that the sites' open-graph technology--which links users to information across the Web--breaches the privacy of users, it appears Facebook is not the only company using such software. The Wall Street Journal began a series called "What They Know", which features articles and documents that focus on educating readers about Internet-tracking technology.
      I stumbled upon an interactive article that lists the top visited internet sites and gives each site an "exposure index". This index is based on the degree of monitoring that each site exposes visitors to, based on tracking technology that each site employs. Sites featured in the article include: wikipedia.org, amazon.com, youtube.com, & craigslist.org, to name a few. While some sites respected the privacy of users (like wikipedia.org), others like dictionary.com had extremely high exposure index scores based on the type of information they expunged from site visitors.
      In a world where the line between public and private information continues to be blurred, internet users need to be aware of what information they are giving up when they visit popular internet sites. Check out the interactive article and see how much dictionary.com already knows about you!

Taxman: One for You, Nineteen for Me

     While taxation is a hot topic to discuss around political elections, I find it baffling that citizens don't demand to know where their hard-earned tax dollars go once elections are over. While Republicans fight to reduce taxes, why isn't there more focus on how tax dollars are allocated?
     My knowledge about taxes drastically increased when I took a tax course for my degree, and I had to become comfortable with filling out tax returns based on fictitious criteria. I had always weeped internally when I saw how much money was taken out of my work paychecks in high school, but now I actually saw where it all was going! I'm not here to discuss whether government should reduce taxes, but I do believe that tax-paying citizens deserve to know where their contributions to government are being allocated.
      Apparently, Third Way agrees with me. The non-profit Washington group produced an itemized taxpayer receipt in hopes of educating individuals on which programs government spends the most money. According to a study conducted beforehand, most surveyors thought the biggest government expenditure was foreign aid. They were stunned to find out that the two largest government expenditures were for Social Security and Medicare. While the itemized receipt only features a breakdown for a working couple and a retired couple, it still provides a wealth of knowledge that all types of taxpayers can learn from.

More Money, Less Votes

      Although it comes as no surprise that California voters re-elected incumbent Barbara Boxer for the Senate and Jerry Brown for governor, it is shocking to point out the money that was thrown around in this election. I freely admit that I am one of 5 Republicans who live in California, but despite this, I was not a fan of Meg Whitman. I do believe that this state needs a savvy, business-minded individual to run state government, but alas, Meg was not the answer to California's prayers. However, she did highlight an important trend in politics: more money does not mean more votes. 
      Meg, ex-CEO of Ebay, spent more than $142 million of her OWN money for this campaign, while Brown laughed all the way to Sacramento. Although this may be due to the fact that California is a liberal state, many political critics say this will be a trend that we see for years to come. Voters are not apt to elect politicians with loads of money because "large wealth and the perception of being “out of touch” with the plight of the average American is a liability". In times of economic instability, voters are not impressed with politicians who can afford to spend $140 million on an election; they want their elected representatives to understand what it means to have financial woes. 
       While California may never elect the types of individuals that I would like, I was very pleased to see the Republicans gain control of the House . There is nothing better than sending a message loud and clear to the White House. That, after all, is the beauty of a democracy.

Humor Comes In Two Hues: Red or Blue

     In a world where comedy used to be nonpartisan and enjoyed by all members of the political spectrum, it appears those days are over. In the past, political satirists prided themselves on hiding their political preferences from their audience; however, in recent times, they are no longer hiding their true colors. According to the Washington Wire, Jon Stewart & David Letterman sport blue jumpsuits under their normal suit-and-tie garb while Jay Leno and Jimmy Fallon look better in red. What gave them away?

     The Center of Media and Public Affairs found that 3 out of every 5 jokes coming from Stewart & Letterman were aimed at making fun of the Republican party, while the opposite was true for Leno & Fallon. While this may not be "news" for avid television watchers, the true impact will be on the polarizing effect it will have on network TV. Since news is already polarized (Republicans=Fox News, Democrats=CNN/MSNBC), it is safe to say that comedy will be too. Stewart's show is featured on Comedy Central, while Leno & Fallon both have shows on NBC. I find this unfortunate....comedy is something that should be free of partisanship. We certainly get enough politics in our day to day life, can't humor be left out of it!?
      While the comedians may differ on political ideologies, they agree on who should receive the brunt of their jokes: President Obama. According to the study, Obama received the majority of jokes from both sets of commentators, with Sarah Palin (totally deserving), George W. Bush (also not a shocker), and Joe Biden finishing the list. So while our country remains divided on various political issues, it appears we can all unite when it comes to making fun of our country's leadership. God Bless America.